The number of Westside entities volunteering for Hurricane Katrina aid efforts keeps growing. Summarized below are newly
announced groups and activities with that goal:
“One Dollar, One Nation” is the slogan of a Hurricane Katrina fund-raising effort by the Coronado High School Student
Council.
The council's 28 members are each walking around school with a box bearing a red cross. Their goal is to gather a donation of
at least $1 from each Coronado student, according to Matt Dooley, student body president.
The school's enrollment is about 1,660.
When the fund drive ends Sept. 23, the amount collected will be given to the American Red Cross for its efforts.
“Every dollar counts,” Dooley said, pointing out that a dollar to the Red Cross means 10 pounds of food. “This is our chance to
step up to the plate.”
From now until October 14, a coalition of Westside elementaries are collecting donations for the victims of Katrina.
The project is called “Change for Change,” reflecting the idea that even pocket change will help. The schools are Bristol, Buena
Vista, Howbert, Midland, Pike, Whittier, and Washington.
“Each of our schools have been greatly impacted already, whether it was our staff, student families or new students to our
schools that were evacuated,” said Washington Principal Terry Martinez. “Our students wanted to help. So we will be working
together to collect 'Change for Change' and then donate the proceeds to the Red Cross to help with disaster relief in Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama.
“Even though each of these schools is small, the students know that together they can make a big difference.”
Some students from the Gulf Coast are being placed in Westside schools, but additionally at each of the schools students or staff
who have been directly or indirectly impacted by the disaster, Martinez noted. For instance, one of his teachers has family who
lost their home and businesses in the hurricane's wake.
At Buena Vista Elementary, Principal Brenda Smith has a life-long friend who suffered heavily from Katrina.
The coalition is also looking for help from the general public. To help out, call any of the schools' front offices.
Cub Scout Pack 24, which meets at Washington Elementary, has raised $710 in monetary donations for victims of Hurricane
Katrina. In addition, the pack has gathered 10 bags of food, diapers, water and dog food, according to den leader Michele
Ferrier.
She especially credited six scouts for their efforts: William Hamilton, Daniel Price, Kyle and Ryan Kight, and David and
Nicholas Ferrier.
The pack's food collection efforts are continuing, she said.
Thunder & Buttons, 2415 W. Colorado Ave., is sponsoring an all-day concert Saturday, Sept. 24, with donations taken at the
door going to the Red Cross.
The event will last from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. T&B's scheduled bands will be Arch Hooks, Nocturnal Tomatoes, Bodycast, Jake
Loggins Band, The Remotes, Tempered, and Johnny Graves & The Blue Wave.
There will also be stand-up comics, including Lloyd Woodby.
Bear Creek Lanes is contributing to Hurricane Katrina relief by donating 50 cents to the Red Cross from every paid open-play
game.
The promotion will last through the end of October, owner Curt Jones said. The hope is to raise $3,000.
Hurricane Katrina evacuees in El Paso County will be eligible for $20,000 in funds through the non-profit Pikes Peak
Community Action Agency, based on a vote at the Sept. 12 Board of County Commissioners meeting.
Applications for assistance will be taken at the Billie Spielman Commun-ity Center, located in the West Intergenerational Center
at 25 N. 20th Street.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are being provided by the Colorado Division of Housing, chiefly for
rent and utilities, according to a county press release.
For more information, call the Pikes Peak Community Action Agency at 471-7870 or 385-7930.
Pikes Peak Library District's website has a “comprehensive list of Hurricane Katrina disaster-relief resources,” according to a
district press release. Click on the Hurricane Katrina Resources link at ppld.org for information, including donations and
volunteer opportunities.